São Paulo – Women working in foreign trade and international relations in Brazil are gathering in the Women Inside Trade (WIT) group, which was founded in 2017 by Renata Amaral in Brasília. WIT is a global professional network that offers training, events and seminars as well as volunteering actions.
WIT cofounders Monica Rodriguez and Verônica Prates talked to ANBA about their work and the partnership with the WAHI Women’s Committee of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
Rodriguez pointed out that in 2017 they didn’t know how big the group would become. “It all started as a small thing. Our group arose from a blog, and now we have a WhatsApp group with over 200 women in government, diplomacy, academy, and all sectors of foreign trade and international relations,” she said.
According to them, the group was created to help women in international business, a mostly male environment. The idea came from stories of female experiences in the labor market that were very frustrating for the parties involved.
The criteria for joining the WIT group is having a university degree and working in foreign trade or international relations. The group hosts seminars, training courses, events, and webinars, as well as providing mentorship for women-led companies. It has also undertaken volunteering actions for vulnerable women by providing financial aid during the pandemic.
“The group also features a CV database and matches them with companies interested, and we are giving financial support to women in situations of risk such as unemployment or domestic violence, by helping them with the household bills, for example,” Prates said.
WIT has recently hosted a course on trade defense at the Superior School of Advertising and Marketing, presenting the instruments to fight against unfair trade practices and invited a male professor to be part of the classes.
“We aren’t separatists, we want to add knowledge, and we noticed that men often don’t participate in events and classes that only have women in the roundtable, even if it’s a technical topic. Men need to understand that women can chose to be mothers, housewives and professionals. We are professionals talking to the world about our experiences just like they are. When then realize that, open up for that, it will get better,” Rodriguez said.
Prates said that WIT creates connections and references and want to build a network and make more international partnerships, such as the one it struck with the ABCC’s WAHI Women’s Committee.
“There are few women in leadership positions in our field, but they exist, and it is important for those who are starting now to know about these accomplished women and the path they followed,” she said.
The group also aims at breaking down the old-fashioned idea of female rivalry. “We are not competitors or rivals. There are many women supporting each other, and we will keep striking partnerships to increase this movement,” Rodriguez said.
The cofounders have recently participated in a ABCC webinar on business with the Arab world. “There are many opportunities and challenges in doing business with the Arabs. The Arab world is very rich, and we need to fight the stereotype. The pandemic has led many to understand the power of the internet and globalization, and this greatly influences business,” Rodriguez said.
For them, the event reaffirmed the women’s role in the professional field. “We hope that this partnership bears many fruits and that 2021 sees our agenda getting stronger, and I hope it thrives,” Rodrigues finished.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
